Shot of the Month
Glyn Dewis on his 3945 project
This project honours and remembers our surviving veterans of the Second World War, by photographing as many of them as possible to provide both them and their families with classic, timeless portraits that can remain in their families for generations to come. It has been a privilege to photograph them – it feels as though I was meant to do this and everything I have done to this point has been an apprenticeship to get me here.
Idwal Symonds served in the 46 Commando formation in the Royal Marines, and is a veteran of the Normandy landings. He was captured by the SS and faced a firing squad.
When I shoot these images, I visit the veterans at home, but never go in with my kit; that stays in the car. First of all I want to get them to know me a little, put them at ease and have a cup of tea.
I want to give the veterans and their families a timeless, classic portrait; to me, this means keeping things simple, with one light for a classic Rembrandt effect. It’s simple to set up and repeat. Most importantly, it has a small footprint, as I’m photographing in the veteran’s home. The final look comes from colourising using a combination of 3D LUTs and Photoshop adjustments.
The response to the project has been amazing, but best of all has been the reactions to the portraits by veterans and their families. To present a veteran in his late 90s with a mounted print and for him to say, “This is the best photograph of me ever taken,” is a reaction that money can’t buy.
“To present a veteran with a mounted print and for him to say, ‘This is the best photograph of me ever taken,’ is a reaction that money can’t buy”